SPACEX’S DRAGON cargo vessel smells like a new car, said astronauts at the International Space Station after opening the hatches on Saturday following the spacecraft’s landmark mission to the orbiting lab.
The California-based SpaceX on Friday became the first commercial outfit to send its own unmanned cargo capsule to the ISS, heralding the start of a new era for private spaceflight after the end of the 30-year US shuttle program.
With no humans on board, the Dragon capsule is delivering about a half ton of supplies and science experiments for the ISS, and aims to return a slightly larger load of gear to earth on May 31.
Shortly after the hatches between the ISS’ Harmony node and the Dragon spacecraft were opened at 5:53 am EDT, astronauts ventured in to the unmanned capsule for the first time.
“Like the smell of a brand new car,” said US astronaut Don Pettit, who on Friday was the one who reached out with the station’s robotic arm and snared the Dragon as it approached the research outpost.
Wearing protective face masks and goggles, Pettit and station commander Oleg Kononenko, a Russian cosmonaut, entered the Dragon to get a first look at the inside of the new craft and the more than 1,000 pounds of cargo it carried.